Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?

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"Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?"
The Americans episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 9
Directed byStephen Williams
Written byJoshua Brand
Produced byMary Rae Thewlis
Cinematography byRichard Rutkowski
Editing byAmanda Pollack
Production codeBDU309
Original air dateMarch 25, 2015 (2015-03-25)
Running time47 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Divestment"
Next →
"Stingers"
The Americans (season 3)
List of episodes

"Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American period spy drama television series The Americans. It is the 35th overall episode of the series and was written by consulting producer Joshua Brand, and directed by Stephen Williams. It was released on FX on March 25, 2015.

The series is set during the Cold War and follows Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB intelligence officers posing as an American married couple living in Falls Church, a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C., with their American-born children Paige and Henry. It also explores the conflict between Washington's FBI office and the KGB Rezidentura there, from the perspectives of agents on both sides, including the Jennings' neighbor Stan Beeman, an FBI agent working in counterintelligence. In the episode, Philip and Elizabeth are assigned to plant a bug in the FBI's damaged Mail Robot, but face problems when an old woman appears. Meanwhile, Stan and Oleg decide to use Zinaida for their purposes.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.99 million household viewers and gained a 0.3 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received critical acclaim, with critics praising the scenes between Elizabeth and Betty. For the episode, Joshua Brand received a nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Plot[edit]

Elizabeth (Keri Russell) meets with Hans (Peter Mark Kendall). She states that their connection has ended, as Todd (Will Pullen) may have seen him when they left the warehouse. Despite his intent in wanting to serve, Elizabeth is not willing to take a risk. Elizabeth is later told by Philip (Matthew Rhys) that the bug in Gaad's office was found and that Martha (Alison Wright) now knows that he does not work at OPR. He still plans on spending the day at Martha's, despite Elizabeth worrying that she may have told authorities.

Philip visits Martha, who acts like nothing happened and both resume their normal life. Martha tells him that Gaad damaged the FBI's Mail Robot, which is now being sent to be repaired. Gabriel (Frank Langella) instructs Philip and Elizabeth to plant a bug in the Mail Robot, even if can be a set-up to catch them. At a warehouse, Hans shoots Todd in the face but is forced to kill him with his own hands when the gun gets jammed. He then meets with Elizabeth to inform her of the event. While shocked, she decides to continue working with him.

That night, Philip and Elizabeth sneak into the repair facility where the Mail Robot is being kept. Hearing noise, Elizabeth investigates and finds an old woman, Betty Turner (Lois Smith). Claiming that she was sent to repair the Mail Robot, Elizabeth allows her to work on the company's books, as Betty originally planned. While working, Betty starts talking about her life, which seems to move Elizabeth. When she talks about this to Philip, he seems indifferent to Betty, claiming that she chose the wrong time to go back to the office. When Betty asks about her past, Elizabeth reveals her Russian identity and actions. Realizing she will die, Betty swallows all of her heart medication pills. Before dying of an overdose, she tells Elizabeth that her actions are evil and that she is not making the world "a better place." A devastated Elizabeth leaves the office, just as Philip finishes installing the bug, refusing to talk about her death.

Stan (Noah Emmerich) and Oleg (Costa Ronin) decide to investigate Zinaida (Svetlana Efremova) about her true alliance. Stan leaves Zinaida at a hotel room while he leaves to get food. During this, Zinaida is confronted by Oleg, hiding in the shadows. Oleg threatens her in recanting her statement about the Soviets' involvement in the Soviet–Afghan War and return to the USSR, or face death within two weeks if nothing changes. As Stan arrives, Oleg hits him in the head and escapes. The next day, he meets with Oleg, who reports Zinaida's indifference to the threat. Later, Philip and Gabriel play Scrabble, with Gabriel talking about the concept of love. Philip shares his frustration that Gabriel failed to look out for him, and now Philip himself must look out for his family as no one else can.

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

In February 2015, FX confirmed that the ninth episode of the season would be titled "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?", and that it would be written by consulting producer Joshua Brand, and directed by Stephen Williams. This was Brand's eighth writing credit, and Williams' first directing credit.[1]

Reception[edit]

Viewers[edit]

In its original American broadcast, "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?" was seen by an estimated 0.99 million household viewers with a 0.3 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 0.3 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[2] This was a 13% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 1.13 million household viewers with a 0.3 in the 18-49 demographics.[3]

Critical reviews[edit]

"Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?" received critical acclaim. Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode an "amazing" 9.5 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "No, I'm not ignoring that final scene, as Philip let Gabriel know he was fully aware of his attempted manipulations. And I'm curious to see where that goes, but in the context of this episode, it was a bit overwhelmed by everything else going on with Martha, Stan and Oleg and that absolutely riveting situation with Elizabeth encountering Betty. The Americans has been on the top of its game this season and this episode was a particularly impactful example of how great this show is."[4]

Erik Adams of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A–" grade and wrote, "A patiently and proficiently nerve-wracking episode, 'Do Mail Robots Dream Of Electric Sheep?' calls out for a pint of Frusen Glädjé, but part of its power is in the way it withholds the sweet stuff. Then again, there is that eponymous machine."[5]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "I love how the episode, written by Joshua Brand and directed by Stephen Williams, lets the two women serve and volley for a very long time before Elizabeth comes right out and says she has to die, and then keeps the conversation going even after that."[6] Joshua Rivera of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Lois Smith will have only one appearance on The Americans, obviously, but it leaves behind tremendous aftermath. This performance needs to be considered for an Emmy in the guest actress category."[7]

Laura Hudson of Vulture gave the episode a 3 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Despite a brutal murder and an assault, this was nonetheless one of the quieter episodes of this show. A lot of it was spent talking to a woman we'll probably never see again, a woman who has to die because of a robot. And most of the action happens under the surface, as things start to shift: Martha finally gets with the program, in her own way, while in his own way, Philip starts to get out of it."[8] Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "This is sad, brutal stuff. And it's also wonderful, near-perfect television. It's not just wonderful because it's bleak and subsequently the buzzword for disposable modern TV: gritty. It's wonderful because it's human. It knows what makes humans both powerful and vulnerable and is able to articulate that superbly. Strange as it may sound, the episode that so callously murders an old woman is an episode all about love... and also just how shitty it makes us."[9]

Casey Cipriani of IndieWire gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "The presence or absence of parental figures weighed heavily on this week's episode of The Americans, and it was almost as if the position everyone thought they were in — when it came to how they relate to their own mothers, fathers or children — had been suddenly switched."[10] Matt Brennan of Slant Magazine wrote, "Indeed, the issue of means and ends, of the role patriotism plays in convincing the otherwise moral person to commit despicable crimes, is the thread tying the episode's disparate subplots together. 'Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?' continues this season's use of violence to indicate the disconnect between actions and abstract ideals; from the shatter of bones in 'Baggage' to last week's gory immolation in 'Divestment,' the series has returned again and again to the dirty brutality of the Cold War campaign to depict the high dudgeon on both sides as morally dishonest."[11]

Accolades[edit]

For the episode, Joshua Brand was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards.[12] He would lose to Game of Thrones for the episode "Mother's Mercy".[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "(#309) "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  2. ^ Cantor, Brian (March 26, 2015). "Ratings: FX's "The Americans" Slips; Viewership Back Below 1 Million". Headline Planet. Archived from the original on March 27, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  3. ^ Cantor, Brian (March 19, 2015). "Ratings: FX's "The Americans" Slips, Remains Well Above Season Low". Headline Planet. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  4. ^ Goldman, Eric (March 25, 2015). "The Americans: "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?" Review". IGN. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  5. ^ Adams, Erik (March 25, 2015). "The Americans: "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  6. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (March 25, 2015). "Review: 'The Americans' – 'Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?': Coal miner's daughter". HitFix. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  7. ^ Rivera, Joshua (March 27, 2015). "'The Americans' recap: 'Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  8. ^ Hudson, Laura (March 26, 2015). "The Americans Recap: Revenge of the Mail Robot". Vulture. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  9. ^ Bojalad, Alec (March 26, 2015). "The Americans: Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep? Review". Den of Geek. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  10. ^ Cipriani, Casey (March 25, 2015). "Review: 'The Americans' Season 3 Episode 9 'Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?' Draws Tears". IndieWire. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  11. ^ Brennan, Matt (March 26, 2015). "The Americans Recap: Season 3, Episode 9, "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?"". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  12. ^ "Emmy Award Nominations: Full List of 2015 Emmy Nominees". Variety. July 16, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  13. ^ Renfro, Kim (September 21, 2015). "How one 'Game of Thrones' episode managed to smoke the competition at the Emmys". Business Insider. Retrieved August 18, 2023.

External links[edit]